Ruben Ornelas, 51

Sheriff's Department spokesman Ray Pruitt identified the inmate as Ruben Ornelas, 51, who was arrested July 1 on suspicion of possession of heroin for sale and maintaining a residence for narcotics sales. Pruitt said Ornelas was found unresponsive in his cell during a routine check of inmates at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Deputies and jail nursing staff administered CPR until the Bakersfield City Fire Department and Hall Ambulance arrived on scene, Pruitt said. Ornelas was transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:20 am.​

Detectives were called out and began an investigation as a matter of in-custody death protocol. There were no obvious signs of trauma or foul play, officials said. An autopsy will be scheduled to determine the manner and cause of death. Ornelas was arrested by the Bakersfield Police Department on July 1 for possession of heroin for sales and maintaining a home for narcotic sales. Orneals was booked at the Central Receiving Faciliy on July 1 at about 11:00 p.m. where he was processed and housed in a multiple person cell.​

The Kern County Sheriff's Office reports that at about 1:30 a.m. a deputy in the jail found 51-year old inmate Ruben Ornelas unresponsive in his jail cell. Deputies and jail nursing staff administered CPR until the Bakersfield Fire Department and Hall Ambulance arrived, a sheriff's news release said. Ornelas was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m ... Deputies report that Ornelas was arrested by the Bakersfield Police Department on Monday on suspicion of possession of heroin for sales and maintaining a residence for narcotics sales.​